Kottayam/Kollam (Ker): Taking on the Left
on its turf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday accused it of
doing great damage to West Bengal and Kerala during its rule
and garbing in political opportunism in ideology.
"Our Left friends are on the wrong side of the
history. They fail to recognise the very fundamental ways the
world we live in has changed, and is changing," Singh told
campaign meetings of the Congress-led UDF in Kottayam and
Kollam.
The Left parties had not only remained "on the wrong
side of history" but had sought to "garb in ideology their
political opportunism", he said as he launched a frontal
attack on the CPI-M-led LDF government.
The Left had not only failed to help the states which they ruled to march ahead but "they also try to give garb of ideology to political opportunism", Singh said, taking on the communist parties in the LDF-ruled Kerala at an election meeting here.
"It is unfortunate that the Left Front refuses to change with time. The result is that they pursue policies and programmes that are not relevant to time", Singh said.
"When I came during the Lok Sabha polls I had said that our Left friends are on the wrong side of history. I reiterate that", he said in his first campaign meeting for the April 13 Kerala Assembly polls.
While interests of the common man were neglected under
the Left rule, CPI-M party workers gained at the cost of
ordinary people, Singh said.
If central schemes like rural employment guarantee
programme failed to benefit Kerala fully, it was due to the
"indifference" of the LDF government, he said.
Appealing to voters to bring UDF to power on the
strength of what his government had done these seven years,
Singh said Kerala needed a government that would work
hand-in-hand with the Centre to ensure rapid development of
the state.
"LDF lives in the past. On the other hand, the UDF
stands to safeguard the future of Kerala. We need to reverse
the present state. We need to build a climate that attracts
investment and creates more jobs, especially for youth," he
said.
Despite the global financial crisis, the country had
been able to maintain high growth rate under the UPA
government without diluting the concerns of the disadvantaged
sections of the society to ensure inclusive growth, Singh
said.
PTI
